Human life is the highest value thing that exists. Therefore the preservation of human life is the highest goal that exists.
I think this is expressed at a lower resolution by many of the characters. It’s at the heart of Eddard Stark’s code of justice and all of the emotional demands that his code of justice places on a ruler. It’s at the heart of Septon Meribald’s famous monologue. Doran, Elia, Barristan, and many other characters express and act out values that seem to be rooted in this one. Characters who act out this value, consciously or not, seem to be meeting happy endings. Characters who fail to act out this value, consciously or not, seem to be meeting unhappy endings.
Apples and Dragons 